Process for the manufacture of alkali metal fluotitanates



PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ALKALI METAL FLUOTITANATES Jonas Kamlet, New York, N. Y., assignor to National Distillers Products Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Virginia No Drawing. Application June 23, 1954,

Serial No. 438,874

4 Claims. (Cl. 23-88) This invention relates to a process for the manufac ture of alkali metal fluotitanates. More particularly, it relates to a process whereby alkali metal fluotitanates can be manufactured from cheap and readily available raw materials.

Titanium metal can be manufactured by the reduction of anhydrous sodium fluotitanate or potassium fluotitanate with sodium metal, according to the equations: 7

It is necessary to use the sodium in slight stoichiometric excess. After separation of the titanium metal, there remains behind a slag of fluoride salts, either molten or solid. This slag consists of sodium fluoride (if NazTiF was used originally), or of a mixture of one mole of potassium fluoride to two moles of sodium fluoride (if KzTiFc was used originally). In both cases, the slag will also contain small amounts of excess unreacted sodium metal.

It is one purpose of this invention to provide a relatively simple procedure whereby this slag of fluoride salts may be converted to the original sodium fluotitanate or potassium fluotitanate. Y

It is a further purpose of this invention to provide a process for the manufacture of sodium fluotitanate or potassium fluotitanate, of high purity, suitable for use in the chemical or electrolytic manufacture of titanium metal, from cheap and readily available raw materials and, particularly from technical crude titanium salt solutions.

Thus, it has been found that sodium fluotitanatev and potassium fluotitanate may be obtained in good yield by the reaction, in an aqueous medium, of the corresponding alkali metal fluoride with titanic sulfate, according to the equations:

Particularly suitable for use in the process \of this invention is the mixture of one mole of KF and two moles of NaF obtained as a by-product slag in the process for the manufacture of titanium metal by the sodium metal-reduction of potassium fluotitanate. This by-product mixture reacts with titanic sulfate according to the equation:

Potassium fluotitanate is markedly less soluble than the sodium salt. The formation of a considerable by-product of sodium sulfate by this reaction further serves to salt out or insolubilizethe KzTiFs. Thus, theuse of this slag of lKF/ZNaF gives particularly good yields of KaTiFs by the process of this invention. 7 k

The reaction of this invention is effected in an aqueous medium. If potassium fluoride" is employed, it will dissolve readily in themedium. If sodium fluoride is used, it may remain partially undissolved, or as a slurry,.due to the low water solubility of the salt. If a mixture of'KF Patented May 7, 1957 above described) is employed, part of the fluoride salt will dissolve in the aqueous medium and part will remain in suspension as a slurry. If a slag from the titanium metal process is used, this will usually contain a small amount of excess unreacted sodium metal. On addition a to the aqueous medium, the excess sodium metal will, of

course, react with the water to form sodium hydroxide.

- The reaction of the fluoride salt solution-suspension with the titanic sulfate may be efiected at any temperature between 10 C. and the boiling point of the reaction mixture. .It is preferred to effect the reaction at a temperature between 70 C. and 105 C. and thereafter to cool and, if necessary, to concentrate the reaction mixture in order to precipitate the alkali metal fluotitanate and separate it from the concomitant by-product of alkali. metal sulfate.

tation of'hydrated titanium d1ox1de.

Sodium fluotitanate is soluble in water at 20 C. to the extent of 60-70 grams per liter, potassium fluotitanate to the extent of 11-13 grams per liter, and these solubilities are further diminished by the salting-out effect 3 of the alkali metal sulfates produced as products of the reaction of this invention. It is essential that the reaction of this invention be effected in an acidic medium. In an alkaline medium, allcali metal fluotitanates will hydrolyze with the precipi- Furthenm-ore, an acidic reaction mixture is necessary to avoid precipitation of any iron compounds with resulting contamination of the precipitated alkali metal fluotitanate.

Titanic sulfate, or titanium disulfateTi(SO4)zcan be obtained by the action of hot sulfuric acid or oleum and NaF (e. g. the slag from the titanium metal process i on titanium dioxide. It exists as the anhydrous salt and also in the form of a number of hydrates.

It has also been found possible to use titanium oxytrisulfate (Ti2O(SO4)3) and titanyl sulfate (TiOSOr), or the hydrates thereof, in the process of this invention:

'also be used in the process of this invention. Thus, NaF,

KF, or a mixture of NaF and KP may be digested with TiOz and H2804 in an acidic medium, preferably at 70 C. to C., to give the corresponding alkali metal fluotitanate, according to the reaction:

As noted in the above equation the minimum amount of sulfuric acid which is necessary is that which would be required to convert all the titanium compounds to titanic sulfate Ti(SO4)2 and in addition maintain an acidic reaction mixture. Thus, there must be sufiicient additional sulfuric acid to neutralize any free caustic as might be formed by reaction of water with the excess sodium present in the slag from sodium reduction of the alkali fluotitanate. This is essential in order to avoid precipitation of the iron salts which mayv be present and to avoid hydrolysis of the product alkali metal fluotitanate.

The titanium dioxide used in this modification may be in theform of anatase, brookite, rutile, as amorphous metallurgical grade titanium dioxide, as a concentrate derivedby chemical beneficiation (e. g. the high titania slag derived as a co-product in the electrothermal smelting of ilmenite), or as a low-iron titania concentrate obtained by chemical processing. An excellent and highly reactive form of titanium dioxide for use in this modiiication of the process is the hydrated titanium dioxide (titanic acid or metatita'nic acid) 'derived by the hydrolysis of titanium salts (such as Ti(SO4)2 or TiCli) and now manufactured in large tonnages as intermediates in the preparation of pigment grade titaniumdioxide.

A preferred embodiment of the process'of' this invention involves the use of the crude itechnicalsolution of titanic sulfate, which may contain'considerabl'e amounts of iron sulfates and as obtained in'the' Washburn process for the manufacture of titanium dioxide. Ilmenite ('or a high-titania iron-oxide containing ore or'slag) is ground, digested with concentrated sulfuric .acid,diluted With water, treated with a reducingagentto :converbferric sulfate to the ferrous state, clarified "by the additiorr'of antimony sulfide and a proteinaccous material which serve to carry down all suspended matter, cooled to: separate and crystallize out a large portionio'f the ferrous sulfate in the solution, and thereafter filtere'dto separate the filtrate of titanic sulfate.

The solution at this stage will contain 420 to 450fgms. Ti(SO-;)z, 80 to 85 gms. Ft-i804, and"65;to"7.0'gms."free H2504 per liter. Thissolution mayibe. further concentrated in lead-lined evaporatorsto approximately.'60O gms.'Ti(.SO4)2, 160gmsXFe'SO4, an'cV'ZOgmsLfre'e H2804 per liter. 'Either of these technical solutions may be used as a source of titanicsulfate in theprocess ofithis invention. As long as the reaction mixture is maintained in the acidic state, the iron.salts show no tendency toprecipitate, and the alkali metal fluotitanates areprecipitate'd in a state of high purity. The ferrous sulfate remains dissolved in the filtrate and in no wayinterferes with'the recovery of the alkali metalfiuotitanate.

Thus, it becomes feasible bythis process to make alkali metal'fluotitanates employing the cheapest technicalf form of titanium salt solution now industriallyavailable, i. e. the crude FesO i-containing ttianic sulfate solution of the Washburnprocess. This solution is often concentrated further, cooled and filtered to remove more 'FeSOc, and finally allowed to form a solid cake containing the equivalent of about'20%'TiOz, 50% H2804, and30% water and ferrous sulfate, proportions corresponding approximately to Ti(SO4)2-9I-I2O in composition. This cake is also ideally suitable for use in the-processzof this 'inven tion. All presentprocesses for the manufacture of titanium metal require the use of a highly,purifiedtitanium salt as a starting material, including the processin which the sodium reduction of.alkalimetal.fiuotitanate .isemployed. Itis therefore highly important to stress that such high purity .alkalimetal fluotitanates may he-obtainedby theprocess .of this invention. Therecan also be used'as raw material the crude FeSOecontainingztitantic sulfate solutions. such as areobtainediirthe widely practiced Wa'shburn process.

The following examples are given to define and to illustrate in more'detail the'present invcntionbukarein no way intended to-limit it to reagents, proportions or conditions described therein. Obvious modifications-will occur to any person skilled in the art. All proportions givenare in parts by weight.

Example I 241 parts'of KzTiFa is reacted under critical conditions with 106 parts of sodium metal to yield 4515 parts er titanium metal 'andabout 300'parts of a "slag containing fluoride (2 moles) and24.0 parts of sodiumfhy'droxide (0.6 mole) in 1000 parts of Water.

To this solution-suspension, there is vadded '400. part-s of the technical Ti(SO4)2 solution (.containingl240 :parts of actual Ti(SO4)2,' i. e. (1L0 mole) 64 parts .offle'SQ;

and 28 parts free H2804. (0.3 mole). An additional 77 "partsof-66B .HzSO4 (0.7 mole) is added-toneutralize the free caustic soda and provide an acidic reaction medium. The reaction mixture is then heated under reflux at 70 C.105 C. for two to four hours, and is then cooled to 1020 C. The precipitated potassium fluotitanate is then filtered ofl, washed with water until the Wash-water is free of'ferrous ion. The potassium fluotitanate forms a monohydrate, which loses its water of crystallization by drying at temperatures above 35 C. The yield of anhydrous ,potassium .fluotitanate is 230.0

parts equivalent to a yield of 10f theoretical.

From the filtrate, 275 parts .of salt cake may be recovered by well known procedures of concentration and crystallization.

Example "11 The source of titanium dioxide used in this example is thethickened filter-press .pulp :containing the equivalent of about 15% ,TiOz, in the formof metatitanic-andtitanic acids (i. e. hydrated forms of TiOz) obtained in the Washburnprocess -by hydrolysis of the crude Ti(SO4)z solution, filtration and washing of the precipitate.

Areaction mixture is prepared of 252 partsof sodium fluoride (6 moles), 2751321115 of 66 Be. sulfuric acid (2.5 moles) and 5 33 parts of filtenpress pulpcontaining the equivalent of 80.parts of TiOz (1 mole). The reaction'mixtureis'heated at 90l0'5' Cpfor six hours, and is then diluted with 500 parts ofboiling water. The reactionrmixture .is then boiled under-reflux .for .six hours longcrycooled to'room temperature .and filtered. The filtercakeis washed with a little water and is then dried. zThe-gyicld of ,sodiumfiuotitanate thus obtained is 154 parts. .Onconcentrationand crystallization of the filtrate, an additional crop .of 31 parts :of NazTiFa maybe recovered for atotal yield of 185 parts, equivalent to 89% of .:theoretical.

By further concentration and crystallization of the fil- -trate,x2'Z5:partscof:salt .cake can also'be recovered as a 'byeproduct.

-What:is;claimed is:

1. A process for the production of an alkali metal fiuotitanate WhiCh comprises reacting an alkali "metal fluoride selected from the group consisting of sodium fluoride, :potassinrnfiuoride, and mixtures thereof, and .titaniumsdioxi'dein the ratio of at least six molar equiva- -lents: oflthe: alkali metal'fluoride for each molarequivalent.oftltitanium dioxide, in an-aqueous reactiontmixture in the presence of sulfuric acid in an amount at least equal to that which would be-required to convert all the titanium'dioxide to .titanic'sulfate, meanwhile maintainingtthemeactiommixture acidic =at--all times and separating an alkali metal fiuotitanate from the resulting mixture.

2. A processaccording tothat'described in claim 1 in which the alkali metal fluorides are lay-products obtained from the reaction of potassium fluotitanate and sodium metal and consist substantially of a mixture of potassium fiuorideandsddiurnfluoride'in the ratio of one mole of potassium fluoride to two moles ofsodiumfluoride.

"3. Aprocess according to that described in claim 1 "in-Which the=alkali metal fluorides are by-products obtained from 'the reaction-of sodium fluotitanate and sodium metal?and.consist substantially ofsodium fluoride.

4. A process according to that described in claim 1 in whichthe'reaction *iscarried out at a temperature be- *tween 70 C; and 0.

References Gited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 12,475,287 .Kawecki July -5, 1949 v2 ,694,617 Cardon et al. Nov. 16, 1954 i FOREIGN PATENTS 57 41832 Great Britain '.Jan. .22, 1946 

1. A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AN ALKALI METAL FLUOTITANATE WHICH COMPRISES REACTING AN ALKALI METAL FLUORIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM FLOURIDE, POTASSIUM FLUORIDE, AND MIXTURES THEREOF, AND TITANIUM DIOXIDE IN THE RATIO OF AT LEAST SIX MOLAR EQUIVALENTS OF THE ALKALI METAL FLUORIDE FOR EACH MOLAR EQUIVALENT OF TITANIUM DIOXIDE, IN AN AQUEOUS REACTION MIXTURE IN THE PRESENCE OF SULFURIC ACID IN AN AMOUNT TO LEAST EQUAL TO THAT WHICH WOULD BE REQUIRED TO CONVERT ALL THE TITANIUM DIOXIDE TO TITANIC SULFATE, MEANWHILE MAINTAINING THE REACTION MIXTURE ACIDIC AT ALL TIMES AND SEPARATING AND ALKALI METAL FLUOTITANATE FROM THE RESULTING MIXTURE. 